The Light and the Dark
by Mindy Sakura
Summary: Yami and her best friend, Yuuki have been alone all their lives. They never depended on anyone except their job masters. When Yami challenges the black mage she's saved by the brightest person in the land, Luminous.
1. Chapter 1: Luminous

I gently blew the candle and sparkles were blown in place of the flame.

Yuuki walked up to me. "Ready?" I nodded. Yuuki knew I never really talked much. I only talked when casting spells or if it was needed. It wasn't easy being a fallen angel. There's a reason I'm a fallen angel... but that's another story.

I put my wand in my wand holder around my waist. I straightened my magician gown out and adjusted my hat. I dug my feet into my mage slippers and tightened my fingers around the magic shield strap. "Let's do this," I said, confidently.

We ran into the castle. As soon as I entered it felt as if I was breathing dark, thick sludge. There was a lot of darkness within the castle. It felt horrible just standing outside. Imagine the feeling of just standing in the same room as the black mage.

Standing right next to the root of all evil, the evilest magician in maple world, one of the strongest magicians in the land, someone that's almost exactly like me... is a scary thought. Now, me and Yuuki, are about to face this monster ourselves without the help of the so called heroes. To be honest, I'm scared... frightened even.

Suddenly we were surrounded by Black Mage Henchmen. "It's an ambush!" Yuuki warned. I looked at her. She looked back at me, worried. "Can you do it yourself?" I nodded. She nodded back with a grin. "I'll try and make it to you when I'm finished." I nodded. I looked at the giant door that was a few minutes away from where I was.

I knelt on one knee and teleported to the other side of the crowd. "Good luck! Don't you dare die!" I ran up ahead and towards the giant black door.

With every step I took the darkness became thicker and thicker. A low leveled person would faint in this much darkness.

Finally, I reached the door. I stared at it. I wouldn't be surprised if this door was fifteen feet tall. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The black mage was on the top of a few stair cases.

I weilded my wand and it turned into a staff. I pointed at him to show I wasn't afraid. he chuckled. "Still mad about your parents?" I tensed up a little. I clutched my wand and casted an energy bolt at him. It did no damage. He laughed. I felt my teeth grind.

I pointed my staff at him and yelled, "Shining Ray!" A ray of holy light attacked the black mage. Maybe it did some damage? Barely noticeable though.

"Now..." He lifted his arm. "It's my turn!" He extended his fingers and strange dark force tackled me, sending my to the ground. (sorry if the black mage's skills aren't good. Couldn't think of anything XD)

He laughed as I slowly got up. He lashed his claws in the air, sending dark scratch marks at me. I tried to block it with my shield but I was sent flying and was banged against the wall. I felt shards on the ground. I looked at my shield and it broke. I threw the broken shield to the side. I breathed heavily as I tried to get up again. He extended his arm and a dark cloud appeared above him. The cloud sent arrows filled with darkness at me. I got up and held my hands up as if using a bow. I used the skill, Holy arrow to counter attack the arrows. I shot four arrows but the rest hit me. I yelled in pain. I was frustrated, hurt, but mostly afraid.

I collapsed on the floor. I looked at the black mage. He sent dark chains at me. _So this is it, _I thought. _I'm going to be defeated by the black mage._ I closed my eyes. I wasn't ready. I knew that. Even though Grendel tried to stop me I still went for it... why though? Was it for vengeance? Was it for pride? No... it wasn't any of those.

Suddenly I saw a bright light. The dark chains dissolved and the dark mage flinched.

I felt my body being lifted. The dark mage lifted his arms and yelled, "You shall be sent to a place. A place **far **from here, where there is no place for you to fit in!" I felt something dark and heavy come over me. "Your friend shall follow you to your own doom!"

I was being lifted out the door. I saw the black mage laugh as our distance increased. When we left the room the door slammed shut.

I stopped moving. I just realized there were footsteps because the sound of feet hitting the floor stopped. "Are you okay?" I looked up, surprised to see the gaurdian of light right in front of me.

At first I forgot where I was. I forgot I was in the black mage's castle, in front of his door, surrounded by darkness. The guardian of light was filled with bright magic. His aura was so pure I couldn't recognize anything around me.

I snapped out of my daze and pushed myself out of his arms. When I dropped to the ground I recovered from the fall and dragged myself to the door. I banged on it, trying to open the heavy door with the little strength I had.

He grabbed my hand. "Quit it already! Anymore damage, you'll die!"

I stared at his hand. It felt warm. Who knew that light was so warm? I pushed his hand away and continued banging on the door.

He grabbed my shoulders and turned me so I would face him. "Quit it!" Suddenly, I felt light. The guardian looked shocked. I suddenly remembered the curse the black mage placed upon me.

I knew now... that I had lost. I looked at the guardian and tried to say name. I didn't have the voice to be able to even make a squeak.

He looked at me and smiled. "Luminous."

Luminous... that name means light. Something I use to have... Something... I lost. Suddenly, the world disappeared.

**Hey guys! First time posting a book on here. I post other stories on a website on so if you'd like check those out. If you have any tips for me comment! Thanks for reading guys! I'll post the next chapter soon!**


	2. Chapter 2: Edelstein

I sighed. "It's been one hundred years since we were sent to earth" I looked at my demon best friend, Yami. Her name isn't really Yami, I knew that. Her original name was Mindy Shain but she hated her name and changed it to Yami Naito.

I pity her but if I told her that we'd get an earful from our neighbors for all the cursing and yelling from Yami.

I remember Yami telling me about the light gaurdian, Luminous. She mentioned him the first day we came here. She was all ebat up... I can't believe I missed a fight with the black mage... but anyway, back to Luminous. She never really mentioned him again. Every time I asked she'd get ticked off and start drawing, writing, or reading. She was that type of person. When she got annoyed or sad or... whatever she'd always start doing something that involved a book.

I remember that before I was finished getting rid of the black mage's henchmen I felt light and suddenly appeared next to Yami on earth. We weren't able to use our magic which really sucked.

Suddenly, I began to felt light. It felt familiar. At first, I thought it was all in my head. I looked at Yami and she was starting to disappear as well.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Yami looked at the ceiling. "That black mage is back."

My eyes widened. "T-That's impossible! You said the black mage was sealed away the day we got here! You said it took us a whole day for our physical bodies to appear on earth!"

Yami looked worried. Suddenly the world around us disappeared. There was a bright light and, suddenly, we were back in Mapleworld.

We were in the middle of Henesys. Henesys was as I remembered it. The town had mushrooms for houses. People often call Henesys the town of mushrooms.

I looked at Yami. Her eyes were closed. She seems to be concentrating. By the look on her face, she was worried about something. She opened her eyes and quipped her mage gear on.

"Yami?"

She lashed out her wand and it turned into a staff. She pointed her staff at the air in front of her and yelled, "Mystic Door!" A door fell from the sky and appeared in front of her. Yami walked up to teh door and opened it. An extremely green forest appeared on the other side.

I blinked. "Why do we have to go to Ellinia?" Yami pointed at me and then the ground. 'Why should I stay here?"

"Gather information," Yami said. "We need to find out what we missed over the past years. Until then, gather information." Yami went through the door and closed it behind her. After that, it disappeared.

I sighed. "Always acting like a hero." Then, I giggled. "Mary Sue."

I walked towards the right side of town and entered a small mushroom house. I took a deep breath and smiled. This was where Yami and I stayed at in Henesys. We had a house in every land in Mapleworld. We travel a lot.

I climbed a ladder to the second floor. There sat two beds, a lamp, and a small table covered in books. I was surprised everything was still intact... at first. I felt the books and felt traces of magic on them. I felt the walls, the floor, even the bed. I felt magic everywhere.

"Yami must of casted a reserved spell on this place before we left," I sighed. "Same old Yami."

I slid down the ladder and walked out of the house. Many people were in Henesys. Henesys was a very popular town for some reason. It was like the heart of all Mapleworld.

I walked around Henesys, trying to find something that seemed suspicious. Nothing. Everyone kept asking who the black mage was and they said they haven't seen me around here before. Guess the time difference between Earth and here aren't so far apart.

As I walked through Henesys market I overheard a conversation.

A man cleared his throat. "I heard that the black wings have taken over Edelstein."

The other man's eyes widened. "Really? I'm surprised they gave up without a fight."

The first man nodded in agreement. "They're brave people with good potential. They had a peaceful down until the black wings came along." He smiled blissfully and said, "I remember Edelstein before they came along. Everyone there was so innocent and nice. The aura there was so open and inviting. It's to bad the blackwings got to them."

His friend nodded in agreement and the gentlemen walked away.

Edelstein? This was worth looking into.

I remember going to Edelstein with Yami once. Everyone was so nice. It was extremely peaceful too. Why would someone want to take Edelstein and claim it for themselves? I really don't understand humans.

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter was short. Couldn't think of much to put into this chapter. So how is it so far? I hope it's good... cause I'm also writing it out. Yup, I'm typing this from the original. This one is better though. Much more detailed and everything. I'm going to get the next chapter up in a few since I'm a fast typer. See you!**


	3. Chapter 3: He's back

I took slow, steady steps. It's been awhile since I felt so much magic within me.

Suddenly, I smelled fire. Without thinking, I ran towards the smell. I started to see ask and smoke.

I was shocked to see a burn, broke house, a seriously injured girl, and... "Luminous." I ran towards him but I stopped. I was able to sense darkness in him... yet he was filled with light when I first met him.

I ignored the feeling inside me and ran to him. I collapsed to my knees and tried to heal him. It was surprising though. A cursed seemed to have been placed on him; a curse that I couldn't break was hanging above him. I could at least heal his wounds. I owe him my life after all. It's the least I could do.

His flesh wounds disappeared and so did the burns.

Nest was the girl. I walked towards her and knelt down. She was really beat up. I'd have to use a whole lot of magic on her. I hovered my hand over her and closed my eyes. Her memories ran through my head. I opened my eyes and looked at her.

I looked at her. She seemed so sweet and innocent. She was a little kid when she met Luminous. Could it be Luminous wasn't human? Bah, whatever. I have more important matters.

I was about to heal her until I heard Luminous shift positions. I quickly ran behind a tree and spied on him.

He slowly stood up and looked around. he started to shake. "I did all this?" he looked at the girl. "Lania..." He looked at the house. "Penny..."

_There's another?,_ I thought. Suddenly my leg gave way from a spasm. Out of all times... I fell on some leaves and made a crunch sound. I looked at Luminous. he looked over my way.

"Who's there?" I covered my mouth and stood up.

He took another step in my direction. Without hesitation I ran away. I could here Luminous calling out at me but I just kept running.

Soon I stopped. I probably ran far enough. I stood up straight and took a deep breath. Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned around and saw Luminous. Crap...

His eyes widened. "You're..." I looked at his hand that was on my shoulder. _his hand..._

I shook my head and pushed him away. he fell to the ground. I stared at him. _his hand...,_ I thought. _It's not as warm as before._ I was sure of it now. He was cursed by the black mage.

He stood up and glared at me. "Do you know who I am?!" I looked at him with pity. The darkness was starting to take over.

While I could, I quickly punched him in the stomach, hard enough to knock him out. _Sorry Luminous... you need to go on your own quest for now._

I looked through my bag and was shocked to find some of my Earth items with me. I took out my cell phone and sent a text to Yuuki saying, 'Keep finding information. When you get something text me the meeting place."

I put my phone back in my bag and looked at Luminous. he was out cold. I frowned. He's walking in the same path as me. Not exactly the same path... but it leads to the exact same place. It was up to him if he wants to skip to another road or to continue on forward.

I summoned a door and Ellinia's town appeared on the other side. Ellinia... the town of magic, wisdom, life... it's an amazing place.

I walked through the door. Before I closed it I looked back at Luminous. The door disappeared once I closed it. I looked at the large building below me. That's the strange thing about this world. Some of the platforms float in mid air. No one really asked how this was possible. I was just glad they were sturdy.

I climbed a vine rope to the Ellinia library and went through the door. Books and traces of magic surrounded me. I missed this magic library.

I walked inside and saw a little boy.

"Welcome to the magic library!" He said with a smile. "Are you looking for a certain book?" I ignored him and looked around. The old man wasn't around.

The boy blinked when I turned my attention to him. "Are you looking for Grendal?" I nodded. The boy smiled. "He's out right now. For now, I'll assist you with anything you need."

I bowed my head as a thank you. The boy smiled again. It's getting quite annoying. "You don'y talk much, do you?" I nodded. "What's your name?"

I hesitated. "Yami"

The boy blinked again. "That means "darkness" right?" I nodded. "I'm Loro. I know, it kind of sounds like a girl's name, right?" I shook my head in disagreement. He smiled. Uurgh... "I like you! Let's be friends!" I shrugged, as if I didn't care.

Suddenly the door started to creek open. I hid behind a book shelf. I placed my finger over my lip at Loro. He nodded.

Luminous walked in.

"M-may I-I help y-you?" Hid voice shook. I shouldn't have relied on him.

He looked around. "I'm looking for a special book with a glowing scroll in it..."

Loro thought for a second. "Nope. Never heard of such a book."

Luminous looked ticked off. "Then I shall look for it myself!" When he walked towards the bookshelf I hid behind I took two steps back, concealing myself.

"Hey!" A high pitched voice said. "You can't go looking around the library without permission!"

"Fine. Where's Grenel?"

There was a slight pause. "He's not here right now so I'm in charge!"

"Then you shall help me look."

"B-But there's so many books! You can't make a mess either. I'll get in trouble!" The high pitched voice seemed to screech.

"Do you know who you're speaking to?!"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." I heard a book being taken off the bookshelf.

I heard Luminous sigh from frustration. "I need to take my rage out on some monsters."

"Just don't take it out inside the library."

I heard the door creak open and slam shut. I gave a quite sigh from relief. I walked out from behind the bookshelf and looked at Loro.

"Please!" He begged as he ran up to me. "Please help me look for the book before he gets back!"

I looked at him. He was desperate. I sighed and nodded. He smiled.

"Help me look at this bookshelf," He pointed at the shelf I was hiding behind. I examined the shelf and shook my head. He blinked at me. "Why not?" I pointed at the bookshelf on the second floor on the right. He nodded and climbed up the ladder. I followed. "How do you know where the book is?" I ignored his question.

We reached the second floor. I walked over to the bookshelf and Loro followed. I ran my finger over the book spines until I finally touched a book that overwhelmed me with light magic.

I took the book out and handed it to Loro. he opened it and found the glowing scroll. Loro's eyes shun with happiness. "This si the book!" He closed the book and grinned at me. "Thank you so much!"

I nodded. I was about to climb down the ladder but I heard the door creak open. I hid behind a bookshelf as Loro climbed down the ladder with the book tucked under his left arm.

"Hey." Luminous said as Loro jumped to the ground. "Did you find the book I requested for?" Loro nodded and gave the book to him. Luminous's eyes glowed as he held the book in his hand.

He opened the book. His expression changed as he examined the page he was on. He mumbled something. I was to far to hear him.

"Pardon?" Loro asked.

Luminous took the scroll out of the book and threw the book to the ground. "This isn't the whole thing!"

"That's not what you said before," Loro said, not knowing how to react.

"Where's the other half?!"

"I don't know!" Loro cried out. "I only found that one piece!"

Luminous's aura became darker as he yelled, "You aren't of any use to me!" Suddenly, a small black orb appeared in front of Loro. It quickly expanded and sucked Loro into the darkness. You could hear him screaming right up until the black hole disappeared.

Once the whole library became quite I realized I was shaking. I grabbed my head and tried to gain control of my emotions.

Luminous looked up at the bookshelf I was behind. I couldn't tell what was on his face. Confusion? Guilt? Curiosity?

I covered my mouth so that I wouldn't make a sound. I was scared... and saddened by the loss of Loro... but mostly scared. The darkness was slowly taking over Luminous. Yeah, that's right. This was the real me. Caring, clumsy, friendly... but that's not what other people see. Only Yuuki understood how I felt.

I finally gained control of myself and walked out from behind the bookshelf. I looked at Luminous... but not in the eyes. I was never good with eye contact.

Luminous turned his whole body towards me and said, "Find the other half of the scroll and I may consider bringing the young male back." I just stared at him. I tried to hold my stare to show I wasn't afraid but I felt my head look to the floor in defeat. I exhaled. "I'd try to help you look... but I may hurt you as well. I'm sure you wouldn't want that." I remained silent. "I'll be fighting some cursed eye lizards." I heard footsteps. The foot steps disappeared once I heard the door creak close.

I collapsed to my knees. This was a troubling matter. I was able to find the first half because it's magic was so strong. The other half must be smaller than the one I found.

I stood back up. "I won't give up so easily!" Suddenly, a bright light appeared on the bottom floor. What the light disappeared an old man with long white hair and a beard stood in place of the light. He had a white magician hat on and a white rob.

I felt tears come to my eyes. "Old Grendel..."

He looked up at me. "Yami?" He climbed the ladder and walked up to me. "Ah, Yami! You haven't changed a bit!" He seemed to smile under the beard on his face.

"Old man!" I chocked. I ran up to him and hugged him. He was surprised at first but then he chuckled.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mindy." I let go of him and nodded. "I must look old compared to one hundred years ago." I nodded. Grendel didn't age to much, even if it was a hundred years ago. Although, would you expect less from Grendel, the really old?

"Can you help me find something?" I finally managed to say.

He nodded. "Of course! What do you need to find?"

"Half of a scroll," I immediately said. "It illuminates a strong power of light. If I don't find it Loro may never come back."

Grendel raised his furry, white eyebrows. "Loro? Now that you mention it, it's quite around here."

I nodded. "Can you find it?"

He thought for a second. "Alright. Give me a second." He closed his eyes and it looked as if he was concentrating. I stood there in suspense. My throat ached a little but I breathed through it.

Now that I think about it, I haven't talked so much in so long. I always talked a lot whenever me and the old man were alone. he was like a father to me, or in this case a grandfather. he found me on the street and took me in. I owe him a lot.

Grendel opened his eyes. The sudden pressure of magic snapped me out of my daze. "Well?" I asked.

Grendel took a book off the shelf on his left and handed it to me. "This is it, correct?" I opened the book and a blast of light magic overwhelmed me. Not as strong as the other half of the scroll but it still felt powerful.

"This is it!" I sighed from relief. I closed the book and smiled. "Thanks old man!"

He chuckled. "I have to go to a meeting." He gave a sigh and said, "Ever since the black mage came back my schedule's been extremely packed." I froze.

"The black mage?" I looked at Grendel. He nodded in disappointment.

He looked at me in pity for a second and then said, "Well, I best be going." He patted me head. "Come by whenever you'd like. You're always welcome." I looked at him and nodded. he smiled. A bright light appeared. I felt Grendel's hand on my head until the light completely disappeared. Once the presence of Grendel vanished I collapsed to my knees.

I collapsed to my knees. I was completely right... although I wish I wasn't. The black mage was back.


	4. Chapter 4: Trust Me

I walked into the library. I still felt uneasy but after training on monsters I feel a bit better.

I looked around until I suddenly saw a book sitting on a crate with a note on top. I walked towards the wooden box. I took the note off and read aloud, "Here's the book you've been looking for. Release Loro from the darkness."

I sighed. "Still won't tell my your name?" I put the note in my pocket and looked around. "Looks like she left."

I opened the book and took the glowing scroll out. I connected it with the other half of the scroll. Both of them glowed brilliantly and became one whole as the glowing died down. "The scroll of light..." I transferred some of my light powers onto the scroll and suddenly appeared in a small library. It was smaller than the Ellinia library but it was still impressive.

I looked at a small staircase and saw a transparent old man on top of them. I walked up to him.

"Hey Beowan," I said to the ghostly figure. "Haven't change a bit, I see."

He raised an eyebrow. "I wish I could say the same to you." He floated towards me a bit with shock written all over his droopy face. "You have both dark and light magic pulsing through you."

I nodded. "What has happened to you, Luminous?"

I sighed. "It would seem I was cursed by the black mage during our last battle." I took a short pause. "Anyways, I need your help. The dark magic is starting to take over me."

Beowan thought for a second. Then he said, "I'm afraid I can not help you out there." I sighed. "But..." I turned my attention back to him. "You can try talking to the one person who was able to control the darkness."

I raised an eyebrow, showing interest. "Who is this person?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid no information of the person was passed down to me. I can try tracking him down though."

I nodded and said, "Please do." Beowan closed his eyes. He concentrated all his magic in his body just to find the person who was cursed by the darkness.

The darkness is a strong force, a force that I have difficulty controlling. Was he strong enough to control the darkness? Could he be stronger than me?

Beowan opened his eyes. "He seems to be going towards Edelstein. He's in quite a hurry to."

I nodded. "I shall meet him there then."

Beowan nodded. I went through the door on the left and appeared back at Ellinia library.

"Welcome back." I looked up and saw Grendel, the really old.

"Grendel..."

He climbed down the ladder and walked up to me. "I believe you had a deal with the girl who was previously here..."

"Oh. My mistake." I put my hands out in front of me and a dark orb appeared about two feet away from ym face. The orb expanded and the young boy, Loro, came running out.

"Grendel!" He cried as he ran towards the old man. He embraced him, sobbing.

Grendel patted his head and chuckled.

I turned around and went through the door. It was around noon so I'd have enough time to go to Edelstein and find a place to stay.

I walked out of Ellinia and into the monster zone.

I had to get to the middle of Victoria Island so i can come in contact with the tree platform, where all the transportations take place.

A slime snapped me out of my daze. I sliced it in half with my staff. The slime exploded and the and left slime all over the ground. The slime pieces melted into the ground, leaving one piece of slime behind. I picked it up and continued towards the Tree platform.

* * *

Yami stepped onto the platform of Edelstein.

I smiled and saidm "Yo." While raising my hand to greet her.

Yami spotted me and jumped off the platform, onto the ground.

"How was the blimp ride?" I asked. She shrugged.

"You find any info?" She asked.

I nodded. "I found out this town was taken over by a group called the black wings," Yami raised an eyebrow. "The black wings are an association that is trying to revive the black mage."

Once I said that, Yami was in deep thought. She was always like this when it was something big.

Now that I think about it, Yami use to be a little more open in the past. Although, back then she lost her memories. When she remembered what happened she became distant and cold. I wonder what happened.

Finally, Yami nodded and looked at me. She said, "we're going to have to find out why then way Edelstein."

I nodded. We went into the town center. Everything seemed normal. Everything except the black wing officers. They were patrolling Edelstein like roaches. They stood in place, watching the citizen's every move. You could smell fear in the air but... there was another aura. It's hard to make out.

I looked at Yami. She was examining one of the black wings officer. he was fat and seemed to have donut frosting on his uniform. Gross.

Yami cleared her throat. I looked at her. Guess she said something and I didn't quite catch it.

"Let's go. We're finding a place to stay for now," I nodded at her decision.

I smiled and said, "I know exactly where to stay." I led us to a small hotel.

I walked in and immediately went upstairs. I unlocked the door with a key while saying, "I rented a room before you got here."

The door clicked and swung open. "Nothing much," I said. "Only two beds, a lamp table, one arm chair and a mini fridge." I smiled to myself and said, "The room was pretty cheap so we have enough money for food and potions." I looked at Yami.

Yami nodded and her normal clothes suddenly appeared on her. I smiled and said, "Glad you like it."

Yami took a bowl out of her bag. She took multiple items out of her bag and placed everything on the floor. She sat with her legs crossed and started to throw ingredients into the bowl.

I started to say what the ingredients are out load. "Dark gem, jester's hat, ice tear, dexterity potion, defence potion, hour glass, rainbow shell-"

I gave her my how-the-hell-did-you-get-that face.

She gave me her how-do-you-think-i-got-something-like-this face.

Yup, she stole a hat from a black wing soldier when I was in a daze.

She threw the hat in, along with a black wing badge, tears of pink beany, and a bubble fish's thoughts.

"That dark gem is to make a dark aura around the transformation," Yami started. "The jestester's hat is so we'll be able to use dark magic without it taking control of us." This will take awhile... (in other words, skip if you want.) "The ice tear is so we remain in form even if we're hit. The dexterity potion is so that we run faster if we're caught. The defence potion is so that we can hold against attacks for the same reason as the dex potion. The hour glass is so we have a time limit. The rainbow shell will help with the transformation. The black wings hat is so that we wear black wing clothes so the hat is crucial in this potion. The tears of pink bean is so that we can control the time limit of the transformation. Finally, the bubble fish's thoughts is so that we don't lose control over the transformation."

I groaned. "I already knew that. Why are you making a transformation potion?"

She started to mix the ingredients with her staff. The objects began to melt down into liquid. The color of the potion turned many colors until it reached the color black. Yami seperated the liquid into two containers. She noticed she had enough for two more so she poured the rest in two potion bottles.

"We leave tonight," Yami said as she wiped the bowl with a towel. "Get everything prepared." I nodded.

This was going to be a loooong night.

* * *

I groaned. "I've arrived at Edelstein but I can't find this guy anywhere! I don't even know what he looks like!"

I kicked a can. "That damn Beowan! He can't do anything right! I bet his intelligence stayed in his body!"

I sighed and took deep breaths. "No time to be playing the blame game. It's night so I should look for an inn."

I walked down the stone path when suddenly I saw two girls walk out of a building. Both of them were dressed as black wing officers. I could clearly see one girl's face. She had short. blue hair that covered one eye. I couldn't see the other girl's face but I could clearly see them carrying a boy about their age.

"Could it be... That boy is the one between light and dark?!" There was a possible chance it was him. Why else would the black wings want him?

I ran towards them. "Let him go!" The girl turned around. Without thinking, I attacked her with dark magic. She yelled in pain and fell to the ground, releasing the young male.

I pointed a dark ball at her but then realized i recognized her. "You're..." Alright, now i really feel stupid.

She was the girl I repeatedly bumped into... wait... she's blackwing?!

"You're a blackwing?!" I yelled, shocked.

The other girl pointed a knife at me. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! No one hurts her like that and stays alive!"

I twitched. "Are you..."

She looked at me, confused but then her whole face flushed red. "O-Of course not! You pervert, how could you even think that?!" I twitched again.

The girl helped the other black wing up. "You alright, Yami?"

I looked at the girl that was called 'Yami'. She seemed to be shaking and sweating a lot. She was almost... terrified.

Once everyone calmed down, we went up to the two girls' room in the inn.

Yami sat as far away from me as possible. In other words, she's being a sadist in the corner.

"I'm Yuuki." The girl said, grabbing my attention. "She's Yami."

I nodded. "What are you doing here?"

She sighed. "I was trying to find out information about... thing but ended up coming here instead."

I nodded... but only to be polite. I didn't understand a word she just said. "So... Why were you dressed as black wing members?" Yuuki laughed. She sure was hyper.

"Oh, that. We were going to sneak into the black wing's hideout until _someone _messed our plan up."

I scratched the back of my head. "Sorry about that..."

Yuuki raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh! No, not you. It was that boy we were carrying. The boy bumped into Yami. Yami got pissed and started yelling and cursing at him. Soon, the boy threw a punch at her and a fight started. We were going to leave him in an alley since he was knocked out.

"Are you people even human?" I sighed. One thing's for sure, that boy isn't the one I'm looking for. Then, it clicked. "Hey!" Yuuki looked at me with confusion. "Can I come along with you to the black wing's hideout? I'm looking for someone and he might be with them."

Yuuki looked at Yami. Yami stayed quite. Yuuki sighed. "Sure, I guess."

Yuuki looked at her watch. "We'll leave tomorrow night." I nodded.

Yuuki is apparently an all nighter. She left to shop for potions and better armor. I looked over at Yami. She was falling in and out of sleep. Now that I think about it, I'm calmer around Yami. Well, I can at least control the darkness within me when I'm with her.

It felt kind of awkward to me, with all the silence. "You okay?" Yami jumped a bit and shut her eyes closed, as if about to endure an attack. "Hey! I wont hurt you!" Strange... I've never seen her like this. She's usually sturdy and able to endure the worse things you throw at her. Why was she acting like this now?

She started to shiver. Her transformation potion wore off a few minutes ago, but I just noticed how normal she looked. She had a red shirt on with a black sweater over it. She wore her socks and some loose jeans. Don't worry, she's wearing a belt.

I took a step over to her. She flinched.

I sighed and conjured up enough courage to kneel to her level. She continued to shake. She hiccuped and I held my hand out.

"I promise I'm not going to hurt you again." Yami ignored me and tried to shrink into her corner. I need to get on her good side. If not, we may die on the battle field tomorrow.

"You know, I'm trying to control the darkness." She stopped shaking and looked at me. She was still hiccuping though. "I'm trying to find someone that will teach me to control this darkness in me. Someone who walks between the light and dark." I looked at her in the eyes. Her black eyes looked back at me. "I'll need your help for that to happen." She avoided eye contact. I sighed. Guess it was no use.

Suddenly, i felt a warm, delicate hand touch mine. I realized my arm was still extended towards Yami.

Yami was looking at the floor but her hand touched mine. I blinked. "D-Do you trust me?" She didn't move for a second. Son, she nodded. I sighed in relief and then smiled.

Now, we might actually be able to win. Suddenly I felt Yami's hand twitch.

"Yami?" I looked at her. She was fast asleep. I smiled. "Rest up. You'll need it tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5: The Light and The Darkness

I slowly opened my eyes. I sat up. I stretched and quietly said, "Ohaio..." Which meant good morning.

I saw Yuuki making tea. She chuckled and said, "It's like three in the morning."

I shrugged. I looked at the other bed. Luminous was fast asleep. I took a deep breath and sighed.

Yuuki handed me a cup of tea. I drank a sip and sighed as the warmth entered my body. I took another sip of the hot liquid. I loved the way Yuuki made her tea. She brewed it just the way I liked it.

I finished up my cup of green tea and got up.

"where are you going?" I held up my wallet, signalling the store. Yuuki sighed. "Be careful."

I nodded and grabbed my bag on the way out of the room.

I walked into the market and bought mana potions. I also bought some new clothes which was a black cape, black staff, and a black ribbon.

I entered a deli and bought a sandwich. I took small bites until I finally ate the whole thing. I bought three more sandwiches and stored it into my bag.

I was about to walk back to the hotel but suddenly felt someone grab my shoulder. I turned around and man in a bear suit. He handed me a balloon. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. He handed me a needle as well and walked away without a word.

I blinked. I looked at the balloon and noticed something was inside it.

I pulled the balloon to the floor and poked it with the needle. The balloon popped, leaving pieces of the balloon and an envelope in it's place.

I sat up, still feeling a bit drowsy after sleeping for about 8 hours.

I heard pacing and saw Yuuki walking around the room. "What's up?" I asked, rubbing my eye lids.

"Mi- I mean, Yami, isn't back from her trip to the market yet." She said, pacing around the room even faster.

I sighed. The creaking floor was starting to get on my nerves. "Alright, alright! I'll look for her if you're that worried," I decided as I stood up.

I walked out the door before she could say otherwise. I put my shoes on and walked out of the inn. I'd say it was around seven in the morning, according to the sun.

I stretched and looked around. I found a string with a popped balloon next to it. I also found an empty envelope with traces of purple powder near it. I touched the envelope and found traces of light magic. I sniffed my fingers. Smells like sleeping powder and a transformation potion to me. I picked the letter up.

"Yami." It was her. I'm sure of it. She used a transformation potion last night. She's also a bishop so she'd have light magic.

I looked at the back of the letter, even the inside. Nothing. "Dammit!" I yelled as I threw the letter to the ground. "Is this the only lead I have?!" I sighed and looked around. The streets were practically empty. Strange.

I took a deep breath, trying to control myself and picked up the envelope. I examined the balloon pieces, finding nothing, and went back inside the inn. I walked up to the room to find Yuuki still pacing. When I closed the door she jumped a bit.

Yuuki walked up to me and asked, "Well? D'you find her?"

I shook my head. I help up the envelope and said, "I found this. It has traces of light magic. No one in Edelstein can use light magic."

Yuuki sighed. "Alright, then that settles it." She quipped her gear on. "We're going to the black wing's headquarters, with or without Yami."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were going at night," I said in confusion.

She looked at me and explained, "That was the original plan. It's possible the blackwings took Yami. We need to find her and take her back before the black wings find out who she is."

I didn't know what she means, but I nodded. At least I'll be able to find the person I'm looking for faster.

We scurried out of the hotel and went up to a black cab with the blackwing's symbol on it.

The cab window rolled down. "Sorry," the cab driver said. "This cab is only for blackwing memebers." Yuuki took our 8,000 mesos and handed it to the cab driver. The driver immediately took it and said, "buckle up."

I snorted and got into the cab. Once we got in the cab the engines roared to life. We road out of town, into the mines.

We sat in silence the whole way there. Took about twenty five minutes. We got out and the cab drove away.

There was a strange, large bunny in the front of the mines. He wore a blackwings uniform. Luck for us, he's asleep.

I took his hat and put it on. "I'll steal a hat and give it to you."

She shook her head. "Don't bother." She took a blackwing's hat out of her bag and put it on. "I found it in the cab. Lucky me, huh?" She said with a grin as she adjusted her hat.

I laughed. "Let's just get this over and done with."

We dressed up in black and casually walked in. It was huge in these mines! There were rocks, machinery, and other tunnels leading to who knows where. I tried to remain expression-less as we walked over to the next area.

I closed the door behind me. This area was completely empty.

"That machine back there was huge!" I blurted out.

Yuuki nodded in agreement. "It has to be powered by something though."

"The rock on the top?"

Yuuki thought about it for a second. "Yes, but think about it. A huge contraption like that has to be powered by something more than a mere rock."

I thought for a second. She was right. I looked around and saw three other machines near us. "How about those things?"

Yuuki looked over to where I was staring. "Let's try it." We walked up to one of the machines and started to hit it with our weapons. A light dimly lit up.

"Keep going," I said. "I think it's working!" We kept banging it over and over. With each hit the dim light grew brighter and brighter. Soon, the bar was full. There was a siren.

"It's a trap!" Yuuki yelled. Suddenly, we were surrounded by blackwings and robots.

A buff bunny walked up to us. "State your business here, intruders."

We took our hats off.

Yami took a knife out and daringly said, "I'm looking for a girl that's illuminating light magic."

He raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of such a girl within Edelstein."

Yuuki sighed from frustration.

"How about someone who stands between both light and dark magic?" Yuuki looked at me, eyes widened.

The rabbit gave a hardy laugh. "Lad, if we had someone like that they'd be long gone and dead!" Does that mean no...? "Enough chit-chat." He pointed at us with his club. "Dispose of these two!"

Everyone ran at us, weapons ready. One by one we discarded them. They wouldn't stop coming though.

"There's to many!" I yelled.

"Oh, you think?!" She yelled back. She reached into her pocket and gasped. "I'm all out of kunai!"

"Didn't you go shopping last night?!" I yelled as I dodging a spear.

"For pots, not weapons!" Guess I shouldn't be talking though. I didn't re-pot and now my mana's running low. Once it drops dead, this is a real problem. "You got any spare magic potions?" I asked as I lashed out at a robot.

She gave a 'pft' and said, "I usually get magic potions from Yami."

"Well THAT'S helpful!" Yuuki rolled her eyes at my response and started to use her knife to protect us, but for how much longer?

I tried to attack with my staff but it was flung out of my hands. "Oh, come on!" I yelled out of fury.

I stepped back and felt my back touch Yuuki's.

"We're dead," Yuuki gasped, out of breath.

"'Been nice knowing you," I joked. Now's probably not the best time to joke around though.

Suddenly, we were surrounded in a barrier. I blinked. "...Light magic?"

"Dark Void!" A familiar voice yelled. Suddenly, I felt a dark force sweep over the area. Everyone except me and Yuuki were flung backwards. The person who stood in place of the crowd was Yami. That's right, Yami. She used both light AND dark magic. She was quivering though. She was also sweating in black clothes but none the less, there she stood, alive and well.

"Yami...?" I asked myself. Suddenly, the strange blackwing rabbit stood up, frightened.

"W-Who are you?!" He yelled.

Yami stood up, straight and proud. "I am the one who walks between the light and the dark." She pointed her staff at him. "I am Hopu Sakura." Suddenly, her staff released smoke. It spread across the area in a blink of an eye, blocking my eyesight.

I felt myself being pushed. Suddenly, Me, Yuuki, and Yami were back in our inn room in Edelstein. Yami closed the door behind her and it disappeared.

Yami sighed and fell to her knees.

"Yami!" Me and Yuuki helped her up onto the bed.

"I'll go buy some mana potions and food." Yuuki ran out of the room.

Yami sat up. She handed me my staff. She must of got it before making her appearance.

"How come you didn't tell me you were the one between the light and the dark?" She continued to look at the bed. I sighed. All this time, I was expecting a boy. Who knew the person I was looking for was a girl?

I looked back at her.

"I'll teach you to control the dark, if you'd like." I was surprised. It was the first time she spoke directly to me. I sighed in relief with a smile on my face.

"Alright then," I said. "Teach me how to control the darkness, Yami."

I finally met the one between the light and the dark.


End file.
